The present invention relates to swimming pool cleaners and, more particularly, to automatic cleaners that move along the underwater surface of a swimming pool. Still more specifically, the invention relates to devices designed to collect and capture the debris dislodged during the sweep of a pool through the operation of such cleaners.
Automatic swimming pool cleaners of the type that move or sweep along the underwater surface of a residential or commercial swimming pool have become popular for dislodging and collecting debris and sediment from the floor of the pool. Cleaning devices of this type include several where a flow of water under pressure is harnessed to provide not only power for the forward motion of the cleaner but also the means by which the debris is drawn through hydraulic suction into some manner of debris-capturing apparatus. See, for example, the turbine-driven automatic swimming pool pressure cleaner shown and described in commonly-owned PCT International Publication No. WO 01/92663, entitled xe2x80x9cSwimming Pool Pressure Cleaner with Internal Steering Mechanism,xe2x80x9d of Poolvergnuegen of Santa Rosa, Calif. Typically, the pressurized water supply for such automatic pool cleaners is provided by a remote pump.
A typical debris-capturing apparatus for such devices is referred to as a pressure-cleaner bag. Such bags are made from a flexible porous fabric that allows water drawn upward from the floor of the pool into the bag to pass through it, thus trapping any and all debris entering the bag with the water. Moreover, each of these bags has an attachment portion that forms an opening into the bag and provides sleeved attachment to an outflow port of the pool cleaner.
In many pressure-cleaner bags, however, debris will tend to collect inside the bag in the area of the attachment to the outflow port. This poses a number of problems to the effective operation of the cleaner. The accumulation of debris near the mouth of the outflow port creates an obstruction to the free flow of water through the port. It also allows the debris to re-enter the swimming pool by falling back through the outflow port when the cleaner is turned off. In addition, some spillage of debris is inevitable when the bag is removed from the cleaner due to the absence of any means of closing off the opening into the bag.
While some improvements have been made in the past in pressure-cleaner bags to address certain of these concerns, past efforts have involved certain other disadvantages. For example, certain prior devices have involved complex design that may add expense in the manufacture of pressure-cleaner bags, limit the ability to reuse them efficiently over time, and even somewhat restrict or limit the inflow of water and debris. One such prior device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,913 (Campbell).
This invention addresses such problems and shortcomings.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved debris-capturing apparatus overcoming some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art, including those mentioned above.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved swimming pool pressure-cleaner bag which stops return flow of debris and yet is simple to manufacture and highly reliable in operation.
Another object is to provide an improved swimming pool pressure-cleaner bag which stops return flow of debris and yet allows substantially unrestricted inflow of water and debris.
Another object is to provide an improved swimming pool pressure-cleaner bag which stops return flow of debris and operates reliably over an extended period of time.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved swimming pool pressure-cleaner bag that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to ship and store, and easy to install and maintain.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.
This invention is an improvement in a debris-capturing apparatus of the type including (a) a fluid-pervious wall forming a cavity, (b) an attachment portion forming an opening into the cavity and having an annular lowermost edge where it is attached to the outflow port of a pressure-cleaner device, and (c) an inflow tube inside the cavity that is substantially opened by the inflow of fluid from the outflow port but is otherwise closed to block reverse flow of debris through that port.
In the improvement of this invention, the inflow tube has an annular proximal edge secured to the attachment portion at its lowermost edge and the tube is made of a material whereby it is substantially erect along the flow axis defined by the inflow of fluid but is otherwise collapsed axially so as-to block any reverse flow of debris out of the cavity. When the pressure-cleaner device is operating with the apparatus attached, the pressure from the flow of fluid entering the attachment portion expands the inflow tube so that it achieves an erect configuration, allowing the fluid to enter the cavity. When the pressure cleaner is not operational, the absence of pressure from an inflow of fluid causes the tube to collapse on itself. With collapse, the inflow tube folds over onto itself to form a flaccid mound of material in a random fashion covering the opening to the outflow port and thereby blocking any flow of debris out of the cavity into the pressure-cleaner. This collapse, because it is along the axis of what was the erect inflow tube and is generally in the direction of the proximal edge of such tube, can be described as xe2x80x9caxial collapse.xe2x80x9d
In the debris-capturing apparatus of the present invention, the erected inflow tube has preferably cross-sectional flow areas along its entire length approximating the cross-sectional flow area of the outflow port of the pressure-cleaner device, although other shapes are possible. This preferred embodiment minimizes any outflow restriction through the inflow tube.
In a highly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inflow tube is made of a fluid-pervious material. Most preferably, the inflow tube is integrally formed with the attachment portion. The term xe2x80x9cintegrally formedxe2x80x9d means that adjacent portions of the apparatus (bag) are formed together, i.e. without any seam or other formed juncture where they meet. In a more specific embodiment, the fluid-pervious wall, the attachment portion and the inflow tube are all integrally formed and constitute a pressure-cleaner bag. This allows the inflow tube to be a turned-in extension of the attachment portion.
In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the pressure-cleaner device is a swimming pool pressure cleaner. In such embodiments, it is highly preferred that the fluid-pervious wall, the attachment portion and the inflow tube constitute a pressure-cleaner bag formed from a unitary piece. The term xe2x80x9cunitary piecexe2x80x9d refers to portions which are integrally formed.
Another highly preferred embodiment has a band attached at its opposite ends to the top portion of the fluid-pervious wall. This band secures the debris-capturing apparatus with respect to a pressure hose attached to the pressure-cleaner device to allow the fluid-pervious wall to remain substantially upright. While cords and belts of various shapes and materials are possible, a most highly preferred choice for the band is a length of rope.
In another alternative embodiment, the invention is an improved swimming pool pressure-cleaner bag comprising (a) a fluid-pervious wall forming a cavity, (b) an attachment portion forming an inflow opening and having an annular lower edge, and (c) an erectible-collapsible inflow tube portion inside the cavity. The inflow tube portion includes an annular proximal edge secured to the attachment portion at and around the annular lower edge and a distal end free to move within the cavity. The inflow tube portion also is made from a material chosen so that it remains substantially erect along a flow axis when fluid is entering the bag but otherwise collapses axially to block any reverse flow and thereby capture and collect debris.
In such an embodiment, it is preferred that the pressure-cleaner bag be a unitary piece, the inflow tube portion being a turned-in extension of the attachment portion. Most preferably, the erected inflow tube portion has a cross-sectional flow area along its entire length approximating the cross-sectional flow area of the outflow port of the pressure-cleaner device to which the bag is attached. It is also highly preferred that the bag include a band that has its opposite ends attached to the top portion of the fluid-pervious wall so that the fluid-pervious wall can remain substantially upright by securing itself, by means of the band, to the pressure hose attached to the inflow port of the pressure-cleaner device.